Eventing bloodlines come out top in loose jumping class

Independent Spirit was the winner of the inaugural three-year-old loose jumping competition held as part of the National Hunter Show at Addington Manor.

Lynne Hirons’s scopey grey gelding produced a foot-perfect display.

“He’s a loose, athletic youngster with an impressive technique. The sort of horse who could compete in any discipline,” agreed judges Rosemary Morris and Paul Scott.

Independent Spirit is home-bred by Primitive Star, who stands at Louella Stud, out of a Brooksway Oats mare. His dam, Candyoats, came to Lynne to sell on.

“She either went lame, had an accident or just didn’t go well when people came to try her,” said Lynne.

But this good all-rounder, who did dressage and show jumping, has proved to be an exceptional broodmare and Lynne has retained two full-sisters to Independent Spirit.

“I liked what I got first time around, so we went back to Primitive Star,” she explained.

After being shown twice as a yearling, Independent Spirit was left to grow and had only one outing at Derby County before coming here. He is destined to go eventing and Isla Johnson-Wells will have the ride in next year’s Burghley Young Event Horse qualifiers.

Read more sport horse breeding news in the current issue of Horse & Hound (8 November, ’07), on sale now

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